USPS OIG Report: Contractual Support Services for the Continuous Improvement Program

Objective The objective of our audit was to determine whether contractual support services for the U.S. Postal Service’s Continuous Improvement (CI) Program were effectively supporting the program’s goals. In 2007, the Postal Service introduced the CI Program as a management strategy to produce both immediate and sustainable, continuous process improvements. CI is an ongoing effort…

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USPS OIG: Small Package Sorting System Performance

Objective Our objective was to evaluate the throughput and productivity performance of the U.S. Postal Service’s 33 deployed Small Package Sorting System (SPSS) machines. Since 2015, the Postal Service has deployed 33 SPSS machines costing over $141 million. The SPSS machine was designed to provide automated package sorting capability, alleviate existing processing capacity shortfalls, and…

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USPS OIG Report: Network Operations Continuous Improvement Processes

Objective Our objective was to evaluate the U.S. Postal Service Greensboro District’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) Priority Air/Surface continuous improvement process project. We will also summarize our prior continuous improvement audit work. What the OIG Found Greensboro District management did not comply with DMAIC process requirements or meet its…

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USPS launches ‘Continuous Improvement’ awareness campaign

The Postal Service is beginning a campaign to promote the concept of continuous improvement and problem-solving throughout the organization. Continuous improvement is the ongoing practice of identifying and solving problems to improve products, services and processes through innovation and best practices. The awareness campaign will debut this spring with a variety of communications materials to…

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USPS: Helping delivery units make better use of limited operational space

The Postal Service has a new tool to help delivery units make better use of limited operational space. The Space Constrained Facility Playbook is a comprehensive plan to reorganize delivery units that are struggling with space challenges amid rising package volumes. The playbook was developed by a team of employees from the seven USPS areas…

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USPS OIG Audit Report: Mail Processing and Transportation Operational Changes

Background The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 noted the U.S. Postal Service had more facilities than it needed and should streamline its network to eliminate excess costs. The act requires the Postal Service to prepare a strategy for rationalizing its facilities network and remove excess processing capacity and space. In 2011, the Postal…

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USPS: Los Angeles facilities make improvements in overnight mail processing

USPS is moving mail more efficiently in Los Angeles District, where managers and employees are taking new approaches to overnight mail processing. The district recently boosted its Priority Mail overnight score to a 4-week average of 95 percent, an 11-point increase. The score measures the percentage of on-time Priority Mail overnight parcel deliveries. The improvements…

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USPS: New system tracking workers’ comp costs reduces Philadelphia District expenses

The Philadelphia Post Office has slashed its operating expenses by adopting a new system to track workers’ compensation costs. The office had more than 275 employees who were injured and not available for duty. “We were paying for worker compensation benefits for these employees out of work as well as for their replacements to cover…

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